Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment.

Both positive and negative reinforcement strengthen behavior.

Habits stick not only when they feel rewarding, but when they stop feeling bad.

Relief from anxiety or pressure can make a behavior more likely to happen again.

Negative reinforcement is a frequently misused term that diminishes its value as a powerful tool for behavior change. You may be puzzled by the claim that negative reinforcement is actually a good thing. What’s so good about relying on discomfort, pressure, or nagging to motivate change? Why not rely on positive reinforcement instead? Research supports its effectiveness across many different domains and contexts. Praise, rewards, and support seem to be much more effective than criticism, penalties, and cruelty masked as tough love.

Here is where the misunderstanding begins. While we are clear about what positive reinforcement means and how to deliver it, we tend to think of negative reinforcement as the opposite of positive reinforcement. And that is only partially true. Let’s see why.

Consider the following example:

In an effort to develop the habit of reading more books, you join a book club, hoping that having someone assign which book to read and give you deadlines will motivate you to read more. You get your first assignment and start reading the book, but between work and family obligations, you don't make it very far in terms of pages read. The day of the meeting arrives, and now you must decide whether to go to the meeting at all. You know that going to the meeting is an important step toward building the reading habit, but you also worry that the other members will think that you are lazy, disrespectful, or not serious. What to do? Below are some options about what to do next:

Option A: You go to the meeting, but you don’t tell anyone you haven’t read the book; you remain silent, sweat and palpitate, and hope no one will ask for your opinion.

Option B: You do not go to the meeting. Instead, you call in sick and say that you look forward to the next book reading assignment.

Option C: You go to the meeting, you fess up, and the organizer tells you that it’s not fair to others because you came unprepared, and you should refrain from going to meetings if you haven’t done the work.

Option D: You go to the meeting, you fess up, and the organizer tells you that it’s OK, it happens to even the most avid readers, and that you should stay and follow the discussion anyway.

Which of the options above are an example of negative reinforcement?

Don’t worry if the answer isn’t obvious yet. We will come back to it once the terms are clear.

What Is Negative Reinforcement?

You may already have a sense of where this is going. The biggest problem with negative reinforcement is not its practice, but its name. The term “negative,” more specifically. Negative implies pain, absence, or obstacle. We avoid negative people, we don’t like being in a negative mood, and we protect ourselves from negative consequences.

But in the context of reinforcement, negative means something else. Let’s take the two terms separately: negative plus reinforcement.

Let’s start with “reinforcement.” Reinforcement is a method of increasing the probability of a behavior. It means taking action more often or more consistently. When we apply reinforcement techniques to change a behavior, we want that behavior to become stronger and more habitual, to stop delaying, procrastinating, and wishing.

If you want to exercise more often, read more books, or cook at home more instead of eating out, your aim is to reinforce the behavior.

Now let’s look at the term “negative.” Negative means absent, removed, erased. In contrast, positive means present, added, granted. In learning theory, negative means removing an obstacle, while positive means adding an incentive.

When we put it all together, here is what we get.

Positive reinforcement means that by adding a reward or an incentive every time we engage in a specific behavior, that behavior will show up more often and last longer. We do something, we get the reward, we do it again.

Negative reinforcement means that by removing an obstacle or stopping an unpleasant experience every time we engage in a specific behavior, that behavior will—again—show up more often, and we are more likely to experience lasting change. We do something; it stops the pain. We do it again.

What Negative Reinforcement Is Not

So, if negative reinforcement is not the opposite of positive reinforcement, what is? The opposite is punishment. The intention of punishment is not to reinforce a behavior, but to stop a behavior. Being criticized, fined, berated, or demoted are ways to make a behavior stop. Stop watching so much TV, stop making fun of people, stop making impulsive purchases.

Is punishment the best way to stop a behavior? It depends. But what you need to know for sure is that negative reinforcement is not. Because negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment. It is not about stopping a behavior. Negative reinforcement can incentivize us to establish good habits, without ever feeling negative about it.

Let’s go back to the book club example. The best example of negative reinforcement is Option D. By going to the meeting and being honest, the initial anxiety and fear of judgment are reduced when the organizer responds with understanding and kindness. That relief makes going to the meeting less uncomfortable, and therefore more likely to happen again.

Notice what is reinforcing here: not praise or permission, but the removal of an unpleasant experience. Not feeling bad for going unprepared is what makes showing up more likely the next time.

Negative reinforcement isn’t about being harsh or punitive. It’s about learning which actions reliably bring relief. Habits take hold not only when they feel rewarding, but when they stop feeling bad.

© Psychology Today